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Access to information is what an index is all about.
A computer can be used to search a text and create a list of page numbers on which given terms occur, but the result is not an index. Such a list is called a concordance, and it lacks the context, sythesis, and analysis that readers rely on when using an index. A quality index is intuitive in that it anticipates the information readers may seek out and organizes it in such a way that they can quickly find what they’re looking for.
Providing user-friendly indexes is the mission of Jones Literary Services. To accomplish such usability, each index is carefully structured and edited. Relevant information is gathered to create coherent and informative entries. Long entries are broken into sub-entries that efficiently direct readers to the specific information they may be seeking. Differences between the terms used by the author and those that may be looked up by readers are anticipated. Finally, the document is edited to meet the publisher’s space requirements, and proofread to ensure completeness and accuracy.
Clinical Skills (Link to Cambridge University Press):
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Fight for Conservation (PDF):
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Homeland Security (PDF)
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Marlowe’s Ghost (PDF of run-in index format): View Sample Index >>
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Abstract concepts are important elements in most texts, and need to be incorporated into the index. The ability to appropriately identify and gather such information is one of the qualities that sets an index crafted by a professional indexer apart from those created using computerized software. |
government
integrity in, 92-93, 134-38, 144-47
openness in, 119, 144-45
idealism, 4-5, 99-100 |
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Cross-references
help reconcile differences between words readers might look up and terms used by the author. |
hydropower.
See water power
individuals, 73, 98-100.
See also American people
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Double-posting,
when space allows, helps readers locate information quickly and efficiently.
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efficiency
in government, 92-93
government
efficiency in, 92-93 |
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Phrasing of entries provides context, which helps readers zero in on relevant information. This spares them the frustration of turning to an entry only to find that it is not related to the topic they're searching for |
forests
as renewable resource, 79, 118
future
planning for, 4-5, 48, 61, 72-76, 89-90
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See" cross-references can also be used to direct readers to terms where scattered information has been gathered. Such collections of references can then be broken out into subentries and organized, without adding extra lines of text to the index. |
farming.
See agriculture
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See also" cross-references direct readers to related entries or additional information. Such cross-references knit the index into a tightly-woven whole while saving readers time. |
government.
See also politics; Roosevelt, Theodore
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